Conventionally, drugs are packed in e.g. blister packs, which in turn are stacked in a separate box or carton. This carton has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and comprises a sleeve portion consisting of four walls which are interconnected by folding lines. End flaps are connected to the sleeve portion along folding lines in order to close the ends of the carton. Normally, one end of the carton is permanently closed, the end flaps being for example glued to one another. The other end of the carton is closed by means of a tuck-in tab, which is connected along a folding line to one of the end flaps. Consequently, the carton can easily be opened and reclosed at this end, such that the patient can remove a blister pack from the carton. User instructions are generally enclosed in the form of a separate leaflet, which is placed inside the carton.
This kind of tubular carton is made from an essentially rectangular blank having a sleeve-forming portion with four wall-forming panels arranged side by side and being interconnected by folding lines. A closure tab is connected along a folding line to a first wall-forming panel on one side of the sleeve-forming portion. When the carton is erected, the closure tab is engaged, for example by means of adhesive, with a second wall-forming panel on the other side of the sleeve-forming portion. The blank further comprises end flaps, which are connected along folding lines to both ends of the sleeve-forming portion.
One disadvantage of this conventional carton is that all information concerning the drug, e.g. composition, secondary effects, manufacturer, user instructions, etc., is printed on the separate leaflet or folder that accompanies the blister packs in the carton. Thus, the leaflet contains a considerable amount of information, and it will require some effort on the part of the patient to find a certain piece of information, e.g. the user instructions. Due to the difficulty of finding these instructions, it might be impossible for an elderly or confused patient to administer the drug himself. This problem is even more pronounced when the carton contains different drugs that should be administered in combination.
Another drawback of this known carton is that the leaflet is lying loose in the carton. The user might therefore unintentionally lose the only item carrying vital information, or even deliberately throw it away.
A further drawback of this known carton resides in the fact that a receiver, e.g. a patient or a pharmacist, in no way can make sure that the carton has not been opened prior to delivery. Even if a separate seal is attached to the carton, e.g. a piece of tape, this is no guarantee that the contents have not been tampered with.